


Damned if You Do...

by Clxarke



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Hargreeves siblings finally express emotion for once, Past Character Death, Sibling Bonding, What they really need is therapy but this is all I can do, klaus appreciation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:46:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24402274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clxarke/pseuds/Clxarke
Summary: ... and damned if you don't.“Hey, Store-Brand Batman.”“What—”“Come inside. Ben wants to talk to you.”AKA Klaus helps Ben and Diego communicate for the first time since childhood
Relationships: Ben Hargreeves & Diego Hargreeves, Ben Hargreeves & Diego Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves, Ben Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves, Diego Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves
Comments: 17
Kudos: 196





	Damned if You Do...

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: Characters and concepts belong to The Umbrella Academy on Netflix, but their angst is my personal gift to you
> 
> \- General series spoilers, no specific spoilers for S1E10  
> \- Canon verse, no specific episode  
> \- This is basically fueling my need for healthy sibling content !!!  
> \- Plus writing dialogue for them is insanely fun 
> 
> WARNINGS: Reference to child death (Ben), discussion of mourning/trauma, candid discussion of death, explicit language 
> 
> Enjoy!

“C’mon, Diego! You know I don’t have all day!” 

Klaus clung tighter to the ladder, almost losing his footing for the third time. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Truthfully, he’d been up higher countless times. The real kicker was his general aversion to any form of space between himself and solid land. And his distain for unidentified falling objects.

Ben looked down at him from his criss-crossed position on the gutter. 

“Don’t have all day? What _else_ would you be doing?” 

“Oh, shut up.”

It was sunny for an afternoon in the city. The perfect day for laying out in the sun. However true, Diego had convinced Klaus that this was ideal weather for cleaning off the overgrown foliage of their rooftop greenhouse. It was tall and the ladder was old and rickety. Klaus communicated with the dead often enough to regret coming along.

Large bundles of ivy toppled down the side of the greenhouse, narrowly missing Klaus by a foot. He shrieked, flinching away, before shooting a venomous look to the top of the greenhouse. 

“Be careful, asshole!” 

“With my aim?” Diego said, already climbing back over the gable, “If I wasn’t being careful, it would have hit you, dumbass. Say, _thank you, Diego_.”

Klaus smiled sweetly. “Fuck you, Diego.”

“Language,” Ben said absentmindedly. 

“Fuck you, too.” 

“If you’re done chatting up the roof ghosts, pass me the hedge clippers.”

He handed over the tool, urgent to get his hand back on the ladder.

“Our brother dearest is the only one up here, and he’s just as _lively_ as ever.”

Ben jabbed his finger at him.

“You’re rude.”

Klaus stuck his tongue out. Somehow the tiny motion nearly jostled his footing again, so he quickly clung tighter. Ben stuck his tongue out in return. It was their usual exchange. Diego stayed oddly silent; even his clippers stalled. 

“You know, it’s so weird that you can see him.”

“Not really. It is, like, my one power.” 

“Not like _that_.” Diego chipped away at the remaining vines, before staring down at the roof. “I just mean, he’s our dead brother, you know? We all went to the funeral. Losing someone that young and that important… It hurts a lot. It's just weird that death is supposed to be this permanent sad thing, but he’s right there, listening and bitching… I don’t know.” 

Ben’s face dropped. 

They weren’t used to this sort of thing. Whether it be coping mechanisms or general discomfort, the Hargreeves siblings never talked about Ben’s presence. Any time Klaus mentioned him, they rolled their eyes. It was easier to write it off as Klaus’s high, or yet another way to unconventionally weasel his way into the conversation. It was another thing entirely to acknowledge that their dead brother was still with them, even in the smallest ways. 

Klaus glanced back and forth between his brothers with eyes wide with concern. 

“Oh, _hey,_ guys… Hey now, I know its a lot to process, but—”

“ _Guys_ ,” Diego repeated, testing the word. “You’re talking to both of us like it comes easy to you… He’s here that often?”

Klaus’s eyes fell back to Ben, who was just staring at Diego with a new sort of pain. 

“Yeah… Yeah, Diego.” His voice came out as a rasp, “Of all ghosts that visit, he’s here the most.” Klaus paused and looked around, “Say, do you want to climb down now? The roof is done. We don’t have to stay up here.”

Diego looked down at his work like he just noticed it. 

“Yeah, we can go.” 

Sadness was a tone Klaus identified instantly. He cursed himself for talking so openly with Ben in front of him. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, really. It was just a fact. A truth with more thorns than roses.

As both feet landed on the rooftop, Ben grabbed Klaus’s arm with enough light presence that Klaus could almost feel it. 

“Hey,” He gestured up to the climbing Diego, “I want to talk to him.” 

“Really? Wait,” Klaus led Ben down into the house, checking behind him. “We agreed you didn’t want to reach out to them. You said it would—”

“Hurt them. Yeah, and it is hurting them whether I talk to them or not. I can see that now.”

“Okay, okay. As long as you’re sure.”

Ben nodded, giving a small appreciative smile. 

Klaus peeked his head out onto the roof just as Diego bent to pick up the toolbox. 

“Hey, Store-Brand Batman.”

“What—”

“Come inside. Ben wants to talk to you.” 

The toolbox was instantly forgotten at his side. Diego stood and followed Klaus down the hallway and into the closest room, an air of apprehension around him. Klaus knew that deep down, or maybe not even that far down, Diego was a softie. His emotions drove him, evident in the fierce protection he offered everyone he loved. 

He grabbed Diego’s hand and, to his surprise, Diego let himself be led to the couch across from where Ben stood. Klaus let him go and he sat slowly, weirdly afraid of sitting on his brother by accident. It would have been funny if not for the context. Klaus couldn’t blame him. 

Ben paced to the wall and back once, shaking out his hands. 

“Okay,” he said, “I’m ready.” 

Klaus turned to Diego. 

“He’s ready. So, if—”

“Where is he?” Diego asked, eyes darting around, “Where do I look?” 

“Oh right!” Klaus snapped his fingers and stood. “Uh… Right there. Right… Maybe you could sit?” 

Ben nodded, wiping his hands on his jeans. He took a seat in the armchair.

“Alright, Diego, he’s in the chair there. He’s about,” he motioned with his hands, “yea high.” 

“My eyes are up here,” Ben joked through his nerves. It was the first time in a long time he felt seen by any sibling who wasn’t Klaus. His eyes stung and they hadn’t even begun.

Diego re-adjusted himself, looking at the chair. He thought about how much faith he was putting into Klaus and realized that he really wasn’t worried in the least. Klaus joked about a lot, but not this. Never about Ben. 

“So,” Klaus started, “If Ben says something, I’ll say it for him. You can reply to him directly because he’s sitting right there.” 

“Got it,” Diego said, “Uh, well. Hey, Ben.”

“Hey, Diego,” Ben replied, feeling like an exposed nerve. “Long time no see.” 

“He says, _Hey, Diego_ and _Long time no see_.” 

Diego laughed. It was a sound everyone needed to hear.

“Yeah, it’s been a while. Sorry you’ve just had Klaus to talk to. If I were to be tied to anyone as a ghost, I’d prefer someone capable, like Allison.” 

“Hey!” Klaus replied, clearly as himself. 

Ben laughed, shaking his head.

“Personally, I’d prefer Vanya.” 

Klaus turned to Ben, saying, “Bastard.” Then he turned back to Diego, “He says he’d prefer Vanya. _I_ say letting you two communicate was a bad idea.” 

Diego smiled. It faded as his mind switched gears. 

“Why _is_ this the first time you’re talking to me? Klaus says you’ve been around for a while. We weren’t the closest pair in the Umbrella Academy, but why now?”

“Honestly, it’s because I thought knowing would hurt you more.” He paused to let Klaus repeat it. “I thought maybe it would be easier for you to have a dead brother’s memory instead of… Something constantly fresh. I’m sorry if that kind of backfired.” 

Diego let these words sink in. His eyes watered and he brushed his nose as he sniffled them away. 

“It's okay, Bro, I’m just— I’m just glad I can talk to you again. I remember when we were kids and I would sneak into the freezer after midnight with Five and bring ice cream back for you and Klaus. You were always so nervous that we would get caught, but it made me feel like the coolest brother in the world.” He caught his breath, “I know… I know that was a long time ago. I wish we had more recent memories, I guess. I miss you a lot. I love you, buddy.” 

Ben couldn’t say anything to that. He opened his mouth but nothing came out. It was then that they learned that ghosts can cry. 

Klaus watched the scene, his own eyes rimmed with red. He looked back and forth between them and made a decision. It wasn’t a very _Klaus_ decision. It was an important one all the same.

“Ben says... He misses you too. He sees everything you do. He’s crazy proud of you.” Klaus let out a shuddery breath. “And he loves you. So, so much.” 

Ben’s eyes were full of gratitude. Truthfully, Klaus spoke for the both of them. 

Diego wiped his eyes. 

“That’s enough for one day. I, uh. We’ll talk again soon, Ben. This is just… Kinda overwhelming.” 

“Yeah,” Ben croaked, “I get it.” 

Klaus nodded to Diego. 

“He understands... Wow, you’re both cryin’ like babies. It's kinda cute.”

Diego rolled his eyes. 

“You’re crying too, Klaus.”

“Yeah, but that’s typical of me. I’m the emotional one.”

They all stood, the tense atmosphere breaking. Klaus turned to leave, but Diego grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him back around. Mid-way through a noise of protest, Klaus was pulled into the most surprising hug. He smiled with his lips pressed tight together, and patted Diego’s back. 

“Oh,” He said softly. “Oh, let it out, Big Guy.” 

He couldn’t remember the last time they did this. It felt nice, safe— familiar like nostalgia. There was something about the way Diego dropped his weight into the hug, despite his size advantage over Klaus. It felt like trust. They were born on the same day, but Klaus felt like the older brother for once, not just the trailing annoyance. Diego let Klaus be the one to hold him. 

“Thank you,” Diego finally said. “I know your powers drive you crazy.” 

“Yeah… Well, the trauma certainly isn’t fun, but at the end of the day, I don’t mind. If it lets us see Ben again, then I guess it’s worth something.” 

Ben caught Klaus’s eye over Diego’s shoulder. He didn’t have to say anything. 

After Diego left the room, Klaus collapsed onto the couch. 

“Damn, this family couldn’t be more repressed. We show one emotion and we’re done for the day. Not to mention, how _weird_ we are, collectively. Other families have normal issues, like taxes and…” He searched for another adult concept, “Insurance.” 

“Yeah,” said Ben, plopping down onto the coffee table. Even in the afterlife, he preferred them over chairs. “But what you did for Diego was really nice.”

“Oh yeah, I’m just the bee’s knees all of a sudden. The magic of being sober.” 

“I think it’s more than that.” Ben took a deep breath. “I hate to be the one fueling your ego, but you were wrong when you said this is your only power. Your emotions, your empathy, are so much more than anything we have. He wasn’t just thanking you for speaking for me, he was thanking you because he expressed his emotions up there on the roof and you actually _listened_ to him. That’s worth something.”

Klaus looked over at his brother lovingly.

“Aw, how Disney Princess of you to say, Benjamin.”

Ben rolled his eyes. 

“Why do I bother…” 

“No, no I appreciate it. I do.” Klaus sat up, rubbing his eyes. “I do. Thank you. I’m just… Drained. I’m gonna catch some shut eye for a bit.” He stretched out his arms. “If you want to cuddle, I’m still buzzed from all this hugging!” 

Ben stood up and walked away, shaking his head with a small smile on his face.

“Idiot.”

Klaus watched his brother disappear into thin air. 

“Fine then.” He threw his hands up. “Suit yourself! Ungrateful.” 

The sun started to set a little while after Klaus’s dreams began. He slept through his mother’s call for dinner. He slept through Vanya’s violin practice. He slept through Luther’s shoulder loudly bumping the china cabinet down the hall. When Diego found him lying there two hours later, he carried him into his bedroom. 

It was the least he could do.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope that was healing for you bc it was for me <3 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
